George W. Bush left office in January 2009 with an approval rating that hovered in the 20s, the lowest of any president in modern times. Today, that rating is in the high 40s and low 50s. That is not because the public has changed its mind about the war in Iraq or the domestic excesses of his administration. To the contrary, public opinion is even more negative.
The reason for the approval rating recovery is Bush's post-presidential behavior. As an ex-president, Bush has avoided the limelight and stayed out of the political arena. He has not criticized President Obama and, except for very briefly supporting his brother Jeb's quest for the GOP nomination in Florida, has steered clear of presidential politics.
That's what an ex-president should do--move to the sidelines.
One of Bush's spokesmen said recently that Bush will not vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in November, but the former president has said nothing. Bush obviously recognizes the difficulty of being president and does not wish to be drawn back into the fight. "When I saw his hand go up, I thought, 'Free at last,' " he told friends in Dallas after Obama's inauguration.
Bush came into office in 2001 believing he was God's agent on earth to rid the world of evil. And that largely explains the excesses of his administration. By 2008 he had become much more aware of the limitations of the office and his own shortcomings. When the financial downturn occurred that year, he listened to Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson and Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke and took the action necessary to avoid another Great Depression, action contrary to his deepest beliefs.
When Obama defeated John McCain in the election, Bush took every step possible to ease the transition and welcomed Barack and Michelle to the White House. When he returned to Texas, he rejoiced. "The presidency was a joyful experience," he told a crowd in Midland when he returned, "but nothing compares with Texas at sunset. It is good to be home."
Bush and Laura purchased a large house in the Preston Hollow section of North Dallas and alternated between living there and the ranch in Crawford. He did not participate in the congressional elections of 2010 and 2014 or in Mitt Romney's bid for the presidency in 2012. He addressed the GOP convention that year by video hookup. With the exception of immigration reform--which he continues to advocate--he has avoided taking stands on public issues and devoted himself to private endeavors, particularly the fight against AIDS in Africa.
Bush wrote his memoirs, published in 2010, and a book about his father, published in 2014. Both were well received. Like Clinton, he began to speak privately to elite audiences, charging fees of between $100,000 and $150,000 for each appearance. He also took up golf. "It requires discipline, patience, and focus ... a couple of areas where I could use some improvement," he quipped.
Like Eisenhower and Winston Churchill, he also took up painting. As Laura said, "He was desperate for a pastime." In April 2014, he exhibited two dozen portraits of world leaders he had known. "Painting has changed my life in an unbelievably positive way," he told a reporter for ABC News.
Unlike Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Bush does not miss the presidency. "I really don't," he told an audience in Houston in 2011. "I actually found my freedom by leaving Washington."
Recently Bush and Laura appeared with the Obamas at the ceremony in Dallas honoring the five police officers who had been killed. His remarks were eloquent. "Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our best intentions. And this has strained our bonds of understanding and common purpose ... . We have never been held together by blood or background. We are bound by things of the spirit, by shared commitments to common ideals ... . This is the bridge across our nation's deepest divisions. And it is not merely a matter of tolerance, but of learning from the struggles and stories of our fellow citizens and finding our better selves in the process."
Editorial on 07/31/2016